Weekly Highlights – Mar. 25-30

Monday

Open House: A Comedy Open Mic Night at Mercy Lounge – 8pm, 21+
Open House is a comedy open mic for people who love comedy and openness. It will be a night of joy, tears and the occasional snort-laugh. So, come on down and watch some comedians tell funnies OR hop onstage and give it a try yourself. Hosted by Gary Fletcher.

8 off 8th Road to Bonnaroo at The Mercy Lounge – 9pm, 21+
One of the bands performing tonight will play at Bonnaroo this year? Who will it be? Performers include Andrew Combs, Blackfoot Gypsies, Hanzelle, Little Bandit, Ranch Ghost, Ravello, Shannon Labrie and Vinyl Thief.

Blue Monday at 12 South Taproom – 9:30pm
Jeff Clemens, Kenny Vaughan (of G. Love), & Johnny d’Artenay make up this blues trio that has changed Mondays in Nashville forever. Talent is one thing, but timing and taste take this group to a level far and away from anything else in town. Come see for yourself what everyone in 12 South has known for a while now.

Tuesday

Experience Morocco Through the Eyes of a Native Son: Film Workshop at the Main Public Library – 3:30pm
“Experience Morocco Through the Eyes of a Native Son” featuring short clips from Moroccan filmmaker Hakim Belabbes. One hour free workshop will feature Q & A with the filmmaker visiting as part of a series: “CaravanSerai, A Place Where Cultures Meet” a grant from The Doris Duke Foundation from Arts Midwest in an effort to bridge the gap between the Mideast and the West.

Film Screening: Moroccan Filmmaker Hakim Belabbes at the Islamic Center of Nashvile – 6:30pm
Hakim Belabbes will present two of his celebrated short films: A Nest in the Heat and Whispers. Both pieces will provide a framework for thought-provoking screenings and discussions led by a respected Moroccan filmmaker.

Life of Pi Community Discussion at Parnassus Books – 6:30pm
Nashville Reads is a way of bringing the entire city together to read great literature, in an attempt to broaden the literary horizons of the city and open up a forum for discussion.

New Faces Nite at The Basement – 8pm, 21+
Featuring Walking for Pernim, Levi Strom, Andrew Leahy and the Homestead, Autumn Rose, David Newbould and more.

Wednesday

Film Screening: Tenebrae: A Holy Darkness at the Belcourt – 7pm
Redeemer’s Tenebrae follows the same basic outline of the traditional one. It refers to the pattern of psalms and teachings. We still douse lights in the same order, while bringing one back at the end to symbolize the Resurrection. However, this Tenebrae is a multi-media event of live music, images, dark comedy, film, recorded music, and still photography.

Old Time Jam at the 5 Spot – 7:30pm
East Nashville’s Wednesday Night Old Time Jam provides enthusiasts of traditional, acoustic-based roots music the opportunity to regularly meet, share tunes, dance, swap stories, and bond together in general camaraderie.

Guest Artists: Murasaki Duo at Blair School of Music, Turner Hall – 8pm
Since founding the Murasaki Duo in 1996, Eric Kutz and Miko Kominami have been dedicated to performing cello and piano literature as chamber music, performing the classics and actively commissioning new works, as well.

Thursday

Author event with Hunter Armistead at Parnassus Books – 6:30pm
Hunter Armistead proudly presents the first title from his international series of 100 strangers photographed on the street in one city in one day. Brilliantly designed by Native Magazine designer Hannah Lovell and featuring unbeatable characters from the hottest strip in the country, this groundbreaking photography book joyously sets a new standard for depicting a place in time.

Poet’s Corner: Brenda Butka at Scarritt-Bennett Center – 7pm
Brenda is a pulmonologist at Vanderbilt Medical Center, has traveled widely, and has written poetry since childhood. Her poems have been published in Spectrum, Insight, and The Cumberland Review. She was awarded a Summer Hopwood Award for Poetry by the University of Michigan.

Friday

Signature Series: Blair String Quartet at Blair School of Music, Turner Hall – 8pm
After a highly acclaimed premiere in Spring 2012 at Carnegie Hall of a modern masterwork by contemporary composer Michael Hersch, Blair’s signature string quartet turns its attention to the giants of the classical canon, with pieces that mark significant moments in the lives of three key composers. Dmitri Shostakovich, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Johannes Brahms.

Saturday

Wishing Chair Productions presents SkyBear at the Main Public Library – 10:30am and 11:30am
Adapted and set to music by Wishing Chair Productions, Sky Bear is a Native American folktale about how the Milky Way was formed. This lovely story is told with marionettes created by Wood and Strings Puppet Company.

Musical Petting Zoo at Cheekwood’s Spring Art Hop – 11am-1pm
Bang a drum, strum an autoharp, and pick a banjo! Our Musical Petting Zoo offers budding musicians a chance to try new and familiar instruments. Instructors will be on site to offer guidance. This program is offered in conjunction with Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art’s Spring Art Hop, a day-long event featuring face painting, Easter egg hunts, balloon artists, and much more.

Film Screening: Deptartures at Vandy’s Common’s Center – 10pm
An out-of-work cellist accepts a job as an undertaker in order to provide for himself and his young wife. Daigo answers a classified ad for a company called “Departures,” mistakenly assuming that he will be working for a travel agency. Upon discovering that he will be preparing the bodies of the recently deceased for their trip to the afterlife, he accepts the position as gatekeeper between life and death and gains a greater appreciation for life. Japanese with English subtitles. Rated PG-13. 131 mins.

Emily (Founder/Editor in Chief) : Emily is a graduate from Belmont University, where she majored in Music Business. She’s originally from rural Ohio, where there are many cows, a river, and one vineyard. Though she moved to Seattle in 2015, Emily maintains a love of both Nashville and free things, and is actively looking for contributors for NashvilleForFree.com. If you're interested, reach out to her at emily@nashvilleforfree.com.